In this episode...

00:01:15 - Ukraine destroys two more ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet using naval drones

00:04:02 - Russia makes breakthroughs in Avdiivka, putting the defense of the city at critical risk

00:12:18 - Republican blocking of Ukraine aid leaves Ukrainian Armed Forces ammunition starved

00:23:39 - Tucker Carlson interviews Putin, old man yells at clouds

00:42:00 - Zelensky does personnel shakeup of Ukraine's top brass, replaces Zaluzhnyi

00:51:38 - Zelensky passes a decree on the study of formerly Ukrainian-inhabited regions within the borders of the Russian Federation.

00:57:03 - Ukraine's Eurovision contestants were selected

Links

https://english.nv.ua/opinion/tucker-carlson-interview-with-vladimir-putin-compared-to-holodomor-denier-walter-duranty-50391631.html

Twitter

Anthony: @Bartaway

Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski

Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype

Resources and Charities

https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype

Music

Hey Sokoli (Traditional)

Once upon a time, Ukraine Without Hype liked to do episodes that were biographies of some of Ukraine's various baddies. The Russian buildup and then the full-scale invasion created different priorities. In this episode, we look at the subjects of these exposés and ask Where Are They Now?

00:02:42 - Pavlo Vovk

00:12:50 - Ilya Kyva

00:29:00 - Viktor Medvedchuk

00:48:00 - Dmytro Firtash

01:05:44 - Arsen Avakov

01:20:35 - Conclusions

Twitter

Anthony: @Bartaway

Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski

Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype

Resources and Charities

https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype

Music

Hey Sokoli (Traditional)

In this episode:

01:00 - Quick updates on Russian missile attacks, Russia freezing, and the end of the holiday season

09:00 - Combat Update - Little movement on the front line, Ukraine shoots down Russian A-50, Russian electronic warfare in the Baltic Sea

17:05 - House Republicans claim they will block Ukraine aid for the next year

24:17 - The death of the sexual assault coach turned Russian spy Gonzalo Lira

32:25 - Headline Story - Extremely unpopular reforms to the mobilization system flounder in parliament, and the underlying problems that surround them.

51:09 - Protests in the Russian region of Bashkortostan

57:53 - New Year prisoner exchange brings defenders of Mariupol and Snake Island home at last

Links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XQxveVhfuI&ab_channel=KyivIndependent

Twitter

Anthony: @Bartaway

Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski

Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype

Resources and Charities

https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype

Music

Shedryk - Carol of the Bells (Traditional)

Anthony and Romeo reflect on the biggest news stories of 2023, from the Battle of Bakhmut to the Kherson flood to Avdiivka. What went right, what went wrong, and what was unexpected? Then, we take what we learned from the year to guess what may happen next year, a year of grinding attrition warfare and an ever-more vital fight for support.

Links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XQxveVhfuI&ab_channel=KyivIndependent

Twitter

Anthony: @Bartaway

Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski

Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype

Resources and Charities

https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype

Music

Shedryk - Carol of the Bells (Traditional)

In this episode...

2:50 - In the Combat Update, Ukrainian defenders continue to hold Avdiivka, Russia pushes through the divided city of Marinka, and the ZSU consolidates gains on the Left Bank of the Dnipro near Kherson

10:07 - The collaborator Ilya Kyva is assassinated near Moscow by the SBU.

13:37 - House Republicans stonewall Ukraine aid funding until next year with a list of demands.

19:54 - Hungary steps aside to allow Ukraine to enter EU accession negotiations but blocks aid funding.

25:20 - A more pro-EU government is sworn in in Poland, which may begin the process of ending the truck blockade on the border.

Links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XQxveVhfuI&ab_channel=KyivIndependent

Twitter

Anthony: @Bartaway

Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski

Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype

Resources and Charities

https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype

Music

Shedryk - Carol of the Bells (Traditional)

In this episodes...

02:30 - The Kyiv Independent releases a new documentary (which I narrated) on the torture of Ukrainian POWs in Russian custody

03:41 - In the Start of Winter, a huge storm hits the Black Sea while Russia ups its drone attacks on Kyiv in the early phases of an expected winter campaign against energy infrastructure.

10:03 - Putin gives a speech reaffirming his maximalist goals of reforging the Russian Empire while the Russian Supreme Court declares LGBT people to be extremists

20:52 - In the headline story, the Polish trucker blockade on the Ukrainian border, which is blocking Ukrainian humanitarian goods, has clear Russian influence behind it.

31:00 - The "Scythian Gold" that had been locked in legal limbo after the illegal annexation of Crimea has finally returned home to Kyiv.

Links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XQxveVhfuI&ab_channel=KyivIndependent

Twitter

Anthony: @Bartaway

Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski

Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype

Resources and Charities

https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype

Music

Hey Sokoli (Traditional)

Olga Tokariuk is a Ukrainian journalist and Chatham Fellow who was there when the history of Ukraine - and the world - changed forever on the night of November 21, 2013. Former President Yanukovych had gone back on his promises of European Association, and fully chose Russia. What followed was protests turned into Revolution, and Revolution turned into a war to defend the very existence of the Ukrainian people.

We look back at that time 10 years ago, and what it means now.

Olga's Links

Twitter: @olgatokariuk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/olga-tokariuk/

Twitter

Anthony: @Bartaway

Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski

Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype

Resources and Charities

https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype

Music

Hey Sokoli (Traditional)

In this episode...

00:01:11 - Combat update - Avdiivka will be the focal point of the war for at least the rest of the year.

00:07:26 - General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, writes an article in the Economist about what Ukraine needs to break out of attritional "positional" war.

00:27:11 - Russian soldiers slaughter a family for not giving up their home.

00:30:50 - A pogrom at an airport in Dagestan shows where the Russian government would prefer internal frustrations be pointed.

00:46:48 - Ukraine is set to take a step forward with its EU candidate status next month.

Links

Zaluzhniy's Article: https://infographics.economist.com/2023/ExternalContent/ZALUZHNYI_FULL_VERSION.pdf

Twitter

Anthony: @Bartaway

Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski

Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype

Resources and Charities

https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype

Music

Hey Sokoli (Traditional)

Some outside pressure is asking why Ukraine won't be having wartime elections. We start by going over why that would be impossible, then dig deeper into Ukrainian electoral politics and would would come of an election.

00:01:24 - Holding elections in Ukraine would be illegal, dangerous, and logistically insurmountable.

00:14:53 - A pretty confusing bill is in the works to allow for elections anyway.

00:30:51 - Ukrainian civics lesson 101

00:37:43 - What are Ukraine's political parties?

00:56:08 - What happens with the formerly "pro-Russian" vote?

01:03:31 - Would Zelensky win re-election?

01:07:25 - Might Zelensky not run for re-election?

01:12:00 - The controversial character Oleksiy Arestovych has announced his Presidential campaign.

Twitter

Anthony: @Bartaway

Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski

Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype

Resources and Charities

https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype

Music

Hey Sokoli (Traditional)

In this episode...

00:42 - Anthony recounts a reporting trip to Kharkiv and back to the former Kakhovka Reservoir

07:42 - Russia launches a massive assault on Avdiivka, and takes massive casualties in the process. Meanwhile, Ukraine launched a large but secretive incursion across the Dnipro River.

22:12 - The newly arrived ATACMS missiles from the US devastate Russia's helicopter fleet stationed at Berdyansk, but they still aren't quite what was wanted.

26:43 - The trial of five police officers involved in brutally suppressing Euromaidan reaches an unsatisfying conclusion.

36:30 - Ukraine moves forward with legislation that could allow for same-sex partnerships.

41:20 - The Polish elections look like a win for the opposition, but either way, it looks good for Ukraine.

Twitter

Anthony: @Bartaway

Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski

Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype

Resources and Charities

https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype

Music

Hey Sokoli (Traditional)